Re: Offload from the AS/400

["Chris Rehm" <Mr.AS400@xxxxxxx>]

>Price it all out Art.  Get figures for the PC network and for a new
>e-series AS/400 (the new black box will smoke 'em, btw.  It is raw
speed.) 
>A new AS/400 on a 5 year lease will be affordable (especially if you
>factor in the  _full_  cost of that new PC software and the cabling and
>hardware upgrade costs) and will go in with no hitches.  It has a server
>in it, tcp/ip, and is 64-bit (ready for 128-bit, I am told).  The
>switch-over is a week-end, the footprint is minor, and there is  _no_ 
>employee training, none.

I do think this is the direction Art needs to take. Give them the numbers
on speeding up their existing machine. Then see if they have an appraisel
of doing the PC conversion. They probably don't have one, but if they do,
get it to a realistic level. Add in the costs for retraining, system
analysis and design, additional manpower, etc. These are very real costs
which for some reason are seldom considered at the beginning of the "plug
in the PC" projects.

I would suspect that when all costs are considered, the price of upgrading
their existing machine will make the conversion look crazy. Then, ask what
benefit they expect to gain from the additional expenditure. See what they
are thinking, why they feel the move is a good idea. Or, more likely, why
this MIS guy feels the move is a good idea. 

>Booth Martin     


Chris Rehm
Mr.AS400@ibm.net
You have to ask yourself, "How often can I afford to be unexpectedly out of 
business?" 
Get an AS/400.
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